67. 9 Reasons to Build a Regimen with Topical Vitamin C
We all know the health benefits that vitamin C offers in our diet, but have you ever considered the benefits when applied to your skin? If you aim for healthier, more vibrant, younger-looking skin, then you should consider adding topical vitamin C to your daily skincare regimen. In this article, we explore the top nine reasons you should do just that.
1. Fight Free Radicals
Free radicals are unstable organic molecules known for causing damage and destruction to your body in the form of tissue damage, aging, and disease.
Pollutants in our environment, unprotected exposure to the sun, radiation exposure, and even emotional stressors can contribute to the formation of free radicals within your body. As an antioxidant, topical vitamin C goes to work to neutralize free radicals and prevent them from causing damage to your skin.
2. Slow the Signs of Aging
No matter a person’s age, no one wants wrinkles or sagging skin. Along with neutralizing free radicals, topical C also slows the progression of aging skin by increasing the production of collagen in the skin cells. Since the presence of vitamin C is necessary for collagen production to occur in the dermal cells, you’ll be giving your skin exactly what it needs when you apply products that contain vitamin C.
3. Reduce the Appearance of Under-Eye Circles
The thinnest skin on your body is found under your eyes, so it’s no surprise that you may notice more darkness in that area as your skin may become thinner as you age. A topical application of vitamin C works to reduce under-eye circles by increasing collagen production which will thicken the under-eye skin while simultaneously combating damage caused by free radicals and unprotected exposure to the sun.
4. Reduce Inflammation
A natural response to a perceived threat, inflammation may present itself as puffiness, skin irritation, or redness. Causes of inflammation may be as simple as a sunburn or as complex as a chemical irritant. No matter the cause, applying vitamin C to the affected area has been clinically proven to reduce inflammation and therefore reducing puffiness, redness, and skin irritation.
5. Repair Hyperpigmentation
Age spots, sun spots, and liver spots are a few of the common names given to the common skin ailment known as hyperpigmentation. How can a daily application of topical vitamin C help reduce these spots? When applied consistently, L-ascorbic acid, the most readily absorbed form of the vitamin, works deep in the dermal layers to inhibit tyrosinase from producing melanin. Less melanin, skin pigment, results in lighter spots.
6. Diminish Fine Lines and Wrinkles
When you use skincare products that contain topical C as a primary ingredient, you can expect to see a reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles within two to three months of consistent use. The combination of antioxidant properties, inflammation reduction, increased collagen production and the neutralization of free radicals work synergistically to give you a clearer, firmer, brighter, and more youthful appearance.
7. Protect Skin from Sun Damage
Much of the free radical damage that our skin experiences is caused by unprotected exposure to UVA and UVB rays from the sun. When you use skincare products that contain L-ascorbic acid as a primary ingredient, you are applying topically a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants are known to seek out free radicals caused by the damaging rays of the sun and neutralize them. In so doing, you reap the benefits of sun damage protection.
8. Accelerate Healing
Applying vitamin C to your skin has been shown to decrease the amount of time it takes for wounds to heal because of its ability to increase skin cell turnover. The average time to produce new skin cells and slough off the old ones is about 28-34 days. When you use topical C consistently, you can expect a reduction in that time from around 28 days to around 20. When new skin cells are produced faster, damaged skin heals faster.
9. Hydrate Your Skin
We all know how important it is to drink water to keep your body hydrated, but how many of us consider the fact that our skin needs hydration as well? Topical vitamin C has been proven to have a hydrating effect on the skin by reducing water loss and increasing the skin’s ability to retain moisture.
These nine reasons for including topical vitamin C in your skincare regimen are sufficient motivation to spend an extra five minutes in the morning and in the evening to apply topical vitamin C-containing products.
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